Clair De Lune
by rosai-gryffindor
Summary: With only one year left at Hogwarts, James needs a new plan to win his fair Lily's heart. Knowing she has a passion for the piano and Debussy, he decides to learn to play the piano,  not just from the beginning, but to learn Clair De Lune!
1. James' New Plan

**_Full Summary: _At the end of his 6th year at Hogwarts, James Potter realises he only has one year left to win his fair Lily's heart. He comes up with a new plan, to find out her passions and interests away from school. When he finds out she loves to play the piano and has a passion for Debussy, James vows to learn to play the piano over the summer, not just from the beginning, but to learn Clair De Lune!**

Chapter 1 – James' New Plan

James Potter sat staring out of the window of the Marauders' compartment on the Hogwarts express. He was not tired, or bored, or sad, as this staring out of the window might imply, and certainly not interested in the view. No, he was thinking. Thinking of Lily Evans, the love of his life, who just didn't seem to realise yet, even after six years of him telling her so, that they were meant to be together.

He ran his hand absentmindedly through his messy dark hair, as a strange and sad thought came to him. They only had one more year left at Hogwarts! This meant only one more year to win fair Lily's heart. He could not fail this time, it was this coming year or never. He just couldn't imagine life without her.

But he'd tried everything! Nothing seemed to work on the redhead. He'd tried asking her out every day, chatting her up, making witty comments, hexing Slytherins (especially Severus Snape), being good at quidditch, and playing clever, amusing pranks. He also once ordered a load of roses and lilies to be delivered to her room on Valentines Day. But while all this got the other girls swooning and feinting around him, she would just scoff, insult, call him arrogant, or slap him. He needed a new plan.

BANG!

The stack of cards in front of Sirius and Remus exploded, followed by the smell of singing fabric as the hem of Sirius' cloak caught the impact of the explosion. Remus cheered loudly, and Peter, who was sitting on the seat watching, clapped with over excitement, and promptly fell off the seat.

'Ha ha Wormtail, great one! Honestly, its not that exciting, you silly rodent, get up!'

Laughed Sirius.

'Oy, Padfoot!' called Remus.

'What?'

'Look at Jamsie poo!' he said, pointing to their friend, still sitting staring out of the window, a blissful expression on his face. The commotion of the exploding snap game hadn't even penetrated his deep thoughts.

Sirius grinned widely. 'LILY EVANS IS NAKED IN THE CORRIDOR!' He screamed loudly.

James sprung out of his daydream immediately, wide awake, and looking eagerly around the compartment. Then he saw his friends smirking and knew he'd been had.

'Not funny!' he said scowling.

'Ha ha Prongs, you seriously need to get some dignity and sense!' replied Sirius. He opened his mouth to say more, but the compartment door opened and a furious Lily Evans towered in the doorway, bright green eyes blazing.

'What is going on in here?' she asked, and frowned as James' hand leapt straight to his hair. The way he always ruffled it really got on her nerves.

'Potter. I might have known all the noise was from you; you ought to know better by now how to behave on the train.' She said accusingly.

James eyes widened at the unfair statement. 'Evans, I-'

He was interrupted by Sirius. 'Actually, Lily, James had nothing to do with it, he was sleeping in the corner. It was me who screamed, and the explosion was me and Remus playing exploding snap. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, he's not all bad!'

Lily stared suspiciously at Sirius.

'He's telling the truth, Lily, James really was sleeping.' Confirmed Remus quietly. He and Lily were school prefects, and she trusted him more than any of the Marauders put together.

Lily looked slightly guilty. 'Sorry James,' she said quietly, looking him in the eyes briefly.

'No problem Lily,' he replied softly. She backed out of their compartment, feeling confused. Had she dreamed Potter's reaction? Normally he'd say something arrogant and clever as a come back. And she had slipped up and called him James. She shook her head to clear it. Then, 'Knew she just couldn't resist me' his voice boasted from behind her, erasing any newly found respect Lily had for him. _Stupid Potter! Of course he hasn't changed_.

'Just don't make me come in again to tell you to behave!' she called sharply to Sirius and Remus, before heading back down the train.

'Why does she always think the worst of me?' asked James with a woeful expression, after Lily slammed the door shut.

'Maybe because that's the character you've always shown her,' answered Remus wisely. 'She doesn't know the true James yet. When she finds him, she'll come around.'

'I really hope so…'

'So Prongsie, mate,' interrupted Sirius, 'Were you daydreaming earlier about that same…lovely… woman who just bit our heads off?'

'I was thinking of how I only have one year left to win her heart, then you rudely interrupted by screaming that she's naked!'

'Sorry,' sniggered Sirius. 'So do you have a plan to win fair lady's heart?'

James was suddenly much cheerier. 'I most certainly do! I shall find out what her true interests and passions are!' Silence followed this declaration.

'Well,' spoke Remus finally, 'it certainly is different. What happened to sending her love notes that sing over and over until she gives you an answer?'

'That was last year's plan, as you well know, Moony!' answered Sirius, 'and it didn't really work.'

'I thought her only interest was school work and following the rules?' piped up Peter.

'That's why I will find out what her interests are outside of school, Wormtail.' James explained in a 'you're so thick' tone.

'It sounds brilliant Prongs, except for one thing, one tinsy winsy bitty thing.' Said Sirius.

'Oh yeah?'

'How are you going to find out what her interests and passions are?'

James looked at Sirius, with the plain, 'are you crazy' marauders look, and ruffled up his hair again, hazel eyes gleaming. 'I just will. There must be some way, and I'll find it! Lily will realise she loves me in our final year, I wont have it any other way!'

The other three marauders rolled their eyes at each other. They went through this every train journey home after a year at Hogwarts. They had learned by now to humour him and agree with whatever new plan he came up with.

Sirius patted James on the arm. 'Ok, Prongsie, I'm sure you'll manage. I just wish I could be with you this summer to help.'

Normally, Sirius would stay at the Potters' in the holidays, but this year James' parents were on holiday in Spain, and James was to stay with his aunt. Sirius was staying with Remus instead this summer.

'Thanks Padfoot, this will work! You'll see!'

'Well good luck, it will indeed be a miracle if it does!'

'Guys, we're nearly at Kings Cross,' reminded Peter.

Sirius smiled. 'Enough time for one last game of exploding snap then. You on, James?'

'You bet!'

The train slowed to a halt at the platform, and doors opened all the way along the scarlet body of carriages. The marauders trooped out pulling their trunks, Remus now with a singed eyebrow, and James a smouldering sleeve to go with Sirius' burnt cloak hem. Peter, as usual, had been scared of the noise, and had huddled at the back of the compartment, so managed to stay unburned. They moved through the barrier together, joking, and winking to admiring girls. On the muggle side of the station James spotted Lily approaching her mother and headed over.

He stood behind her and said into her ear, 'goodbye my Lily flower,' in what he thought was an attractive way. Lily however shrieked and twisted around.

'Potter, how dare you!'

He grinned at her and bowed, taking her hand and kissing it, then was gone, leaving Lily's mother asking her who that 'charming young man' was.

Still grinning, James headed over to Sirius and Remus. They thumped each other on the back and said goodbye, planning to keep in touch by owl to arrange times to meet up. James watched his two friends leave with Mr Lupin, Sirius blowing fake kisses back to James, who stuck his tongue out in reply then turned to search for his aunt.

He soon saw her, standing a little way off, tall with short black hair, and wearing a purple jacket, jeans and a flowery hat. She was a witch, but preferred to live as a muggle, had lots of money, and always spoiled James whenever he came to stay.

'James!' she cooed as he approached, and pulled him into a tight embrace. 'How are you dear?'

James extracted himself from her arms and grinned. 'Perfectly well, thank you Aunt!'

'Good, good!' she said. 'How was your year? Car's this way.' She continued to chatter non-stop all the way to the car, and then all journey. This left James to daydream once again about Lily. He thought how wonderful it was that she had called him James and not Potter back in the carriage, and how he had shocked her into letting him kiss her hand as a goodbye at the station. He relished this last moment with her, as he probably wouldn't see her until September the first. Little did he know he would be seeing Lily Evans _much_ sooner than he expected.

**A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Clair De Lune. Please leave a review to let me know what you think! This story is completely written, so i will be posting regularly if i get enough reviews going per chapter!**

**Rose :)**


	2. Doris

Chapter 2 - Doris

That evening, after unpacking his trunk in what would be his bedroom for the summer, James decided to go for a walk along the street his aunt's new house was situated in. It was a muggle neighbourhood; quiet, clean and friendly, with two rows of semi-detached houses built of red bricks with dark grey tiled roofs. They all had garages to one side, small patches of grass at the front, and bigger gardens at the back.

Dark had not yet fallen, but the sun had set, leaving a blue haze which caused the street lamps to glow orange. James liked this time of day. He walked along the street breathing in the warm summers air, deep in thought. Then a little way down the street something caught his eye. A downstairs window in number 15 was uncurtained, the light inside allowing him to see within into a cosy living room. A girl sat with her back to the window at an upright piano, playing the keys lovingly.

James gasped and stood still. The girl had a mane of thick dark red hair hanging down her back. He'd recognise that head anywhere, even from behind. It was Lily Evans.

Smiling at the beautiful sight of his Lily, in a house only along the street from where he'd be staying all summer, James crept closer until he was beneath the window, trying not to crush the flowers blooming in the flowerbed. He could no longer see inside the room, but he could now hear Lily's playing. She was no great pianist, and only played simple tunes, yet they sounded pretty and precise, perfect to James' ears.

He settled down as comfortably as possible to listen, but suddenly the sound of loud rock music pounded out from an upstairs window, drowning out the sound of the piano. Looking up, he saw the shadow of a tall skinny girl move behind the curtain. Not wanting to be spotted he quietly made his way back into the road, and scowled at the interruption and rudeness of whoever that girl was.

Taking one last glance at Lily before leaving, he saw her stop playing, look up at the ceiling, then cover her ears in annoyance before standing up and crossing to the window. James tensed as he met the gaze of her bright, emerald green eyes, worried for a moment that she could see him. But she just shook her head as if to clear a vision, and closed the curtains, hiding her from his view.

---------------------------------

'Are you alright James?' asked his aunt, as they sat eating supper later that evening at the round kitchen table. 'Only you seem really quiet.'

James nodded, and swallowed a mouthful of mashed potato. He had been quiet…but because he was thinking about how he could find out more about Lily.

'Are there any other people my age living around here, aunt?' he asked hopefully.

'Why, bored already are you, Jamsie?' she chuckled.

'Sort of…are there, though?'

His aunt looked thoughtful. 'Well, I don't know about the whole street, I've only been living here for a few weeks after all, but there aren't any children amongst my immediate neighbours. You could ask Doris though; she lives next door on the right, and has done for most of her life. Probably knows everyone in the area.'

James was about to answer, but his aunt chatted on about what a dear old lady Doris is, and explained all she knew about her, which was practically her whole life history as far as James could tell. He rolled his eyes and finished eating, planning to write a letter to Sirius as soon as he was excused, to update him on the Lily situation, and ask him to rescue him as soon as possible from his aunt and her chatter.

---------------------------------

James, being the lazy teenager that he was, slept in until twelve o clock the following morning, having taken advantage of the first day of not having to get up to go to classes.

'Morning, aunt!' he said cheerfully, as he entered the kitchen to find her writing (she was a muggle fiction writer), small rectangular glasses perched on her nose, and the writing machine, which James thought was called something like a tripewriter, going tap, tap, tap, ping!

She looked up as he proceeded to help himself to breakfast and smiled. 'More like afternoon, James!' she told her nephew humorously.

He just grinned. 'Mind if I finish this cereal?'

She tutted. 'Go on then! But you'll have to get your own lunch today if your meals are going to be all over the place!'

'Yes, aunt!'

James wanted to get started on 'project Lily' as soon as possible, so after his breakfast he went next door to pay a visit to the lovely Doris.

He rang the bell, and a short, thin, silver haired old lady answered the door. She had a jolly face, quite beautiful for her age, and smiled enquiringly when she saw James.

'Hello,' he started, putting on his most charming smile. 'I'm James Potter, Lydia's nephew. I'm staying with her for the summer.'

Doris beamed. 'Oh yes! Lydia did tell me she was having company for a while! Lovely to meet you young man. Come in, come in!'

James stepped over the doorstep and into a brightly coloured hallway that you wouldn't expect in an old lady's house. The walls were painted purple, with gold edging, and there were blue and white tiles on the floor. The lights hung from the ceiling in glass lampshades shaped like flowers.

'This way,' Doris trilled, leading him into a spacious living room, which had a light blue and pink colour scheme. 'Do sit down, James. Would you like some tea? Or orange juice maybe? And I have some lovely Victoria sponge, baked it only yesterday,' she coaxed.

James was beginning to like her very much. 'Orange juice and cake please!' he answered eagerly.

She laughed. 'I know how boys like their food! Make yourself at home, dear!'

Doris was a charming lady. She told James of her two sons, now grown up, who she was very proud of, and how they had fought in the war. She wasn't boring, or too focused on herself, and asked James a lot of questions about himself. When she heard he went to a boarding school she was delighted, and listened as James told her of the pranks he'd played, (the ones with less magic involved of course) and found them very funny. She had been a bit of a prankster herself back in her school days, she told him, and he had to give her some credit, she had some great ideas for pranks! But James did not forget his reason for coming, and the thoughts of his Lily didn't completely leave his head.

'Is there anyone else my age living around here?' he asked her finally, when able to pick up a new subject.

'Why, fed up of my old company already are we?' she teased. James looked slightly embarrassed.

'Bless you, I was only teasing!' she said. 'As to your question you're in luck, James, there aren't that many nearby except for one family, the rest are all a few streets away or too young. There are a couple of young ladies living in number 15. One of them is about the same age as you, but her sister's a few years older. Lily and Petunia, they're called. Beautiful names, don't you think?'

James nodded, trying not to seem too eager at the news, but his heart rejoicing inside!

'Now Lily's a sweet girl. I invite her in for tea occasionally. She plays the piano for me sometimes.' She pointed to a closed upright piano in the corner. 'Now that my sons have left there's no one to play it but her. She loves the piano, does Lily, and plays very prettily. She's madly in love with Debussy you know.'

James' heart suddenly plummeted to his feet. 'What!' he exclaimed. 'You mean she has a boyfriend? Who is he?'

Doris opened her mouth and roared with laughter. 'Are you jealous, James?' she spluttered, clutching her sides. 'Debussy's a famous music composer!'

James looked even more outraged. So Lily had a _famous_ muggle boyfriend, did she?

'Or rather, was.' Doris continued. 'He's been dead for donkey's years! Don't tell me you've never heard of him!'

James suddenly felt very foolish. His cheeks flushed deep red. 'Oh. No, I haven't.' He said sheepishly.

'Well now, we can't have that,' she said, still chuckling. 'You must be introduced.'

She crossed over to a gramophone and took a record off of the shelf beside it.

'He wrote many pieces,' she explained, 'but this one, Clair De Lune, is one of his most famous ones.'

James watched her curiously. He didn't have a clue what she was doing, having had not much experience with muggle technology, but immediately understood as piano music began to play from it.

The piece was indeed beautiful. He could see why Lily liked it. And it was then that the idea came to him. If he could play the piano like that, learn Clair De Lune for her, there was a chance she might fall in love with him.

**A/N: Please review! It would be greatly appreciated! At least one please, then I will update in another 2 days, if not, well… you will have to wait longer! ;)**


	3. Piano Lessons

Chapter 3 – Piano Lessons

'Aunt?' called James as he entered the house late that afternoon.

'In the kitchen, James,' she called back.

A pleasant smell of cooking onions wafted up his nose as he opened the kitchen door.

'Ummm, something smells good! What's for dinner?' he asked, sniffing the air.

'Shepherds pie. You look like a dog doing that, James.'

'Nah, that's Sirius' expertise.'

His aunt decided to ignore that comment. 'You been at Doris' all afternoon?' she asked.

'Yup. Can I taste some of that?'

'Oh go on then! Would have thought Doris'd bored you to death. She give you any interesting information?'

'Yeah. She told me all about Debussy and played me Clair De Lune on her grammythingy.'

'Gramophone,' his aunt corrected automatically, not quite taking in what her nephew had said. 'Hang on, she did what?'

'Played me Clair De Lune. It's a lovely piano piece, surely you've heard of it aunt?'

'Well yes of course I have! But that's not the point. Are you seriously telling me that you _like_ Debussy?'

'Yep! And I'm going to learn to play the piano. Do you know of any good teachers near by?'

Aunt Lydia gaped at her nephew in astonishment. Was this another of his famous pranks? She smiled. 'Sure James, and I'm going to fly to mars. Help me by peeling those carrots will you dear?'

'I'm being serious aunt! I want to learn to play Clair De Lune. Don't look at me as if I'm some freak! Actually maybe I am, but that's beside the point. Why shouldn't I take up a muggle interest? You write stories for muggles don't you, yet you're a witch.'

His aunt raised an eyebrow. He did have a point. But James; immature, funny, popular, and a prankster, take up playing the piano?

She looked at him closely. He seemed serious enough about it; maybe he was finally beginning to mature a bit.

'You really are serious about this, aren't you?'

'Yes.'

'May I ask why exactly? If I have a good reason from you and assurance that you really do want to learn, I will pay for a summers worth of lessons.'

James looked thoughtful. That was a good deal, he'd been counting on having to empty his account at Gringotts. 'Ok, I'll tell you. I suppose you know about Lily Evans?'

His aunt's face suddenly showed comprehension. 'Of course I do, James, you made sure of that!'

'Well, I want to really change for her, become more mature, and prove that I really do care for her. She loves playing the piano and has a passion for Debussy. So I thought that if I learn to play Clair De Lune for her she might just give me a chance.'

Aunt Lydia suddenly saw the more serious side of James Potter. She had known he was in love with this Lily, but that he'd change so much for her was really sweet!

She pulled him into a one-arm hug, which surprisingly he didn't resist. 'All right, I believe you Jamie. Now, how about we hit the telephone directory after supper? Find you a good, local teacher.'

James grinned. 'That'd be great! Thanks aunt!'

She chuckled and handed him a knife. 'No problem James. Now, chop up those carrots!'

--------------------------------

Sirius laughed and leant back on the garden fence, facing James with a comical expression on his handsome face. 'So let me get this straight. You're going to take up playing some gay muggle musical instrument, have lessons once a week for the rest of the summer, and transfigure your aunt's armchair into a piano so you can practise everyday, all because Lily plays herself. Am I correct?'

His friend nodded. 'Yes.'

Sirius doubled over once more. 'You- must…be joking!' he managed to splutter out eventually, then saw the look on his friend's face. 'C'mon James, mate, I know you try to be like her as much as you can, but isn't this going a little too far?'

James shook his head and frowned. 'Sirius, grow up a little will you! _I_ have! And it doesn't hurt that much. Understand this; I love Lily, you should know that by now, and I will do anything possible, even change my ways, to win her love in return. So I'm going to learn to play the piano. Ok?'

Sirius actually looked serious as he took in what his friend had just announced.

'Ok, Prongs, I understand how much this means to you, and as you're my best mate, a brother even, I will help you all the way in this matter. But I will say this, and please don't hate me for it; you are fun to be around, James Potter, a great friend and marauder who is loyal, brave and a brilliant prankster with a genius brain. I will not let you change that about your character. If it does change I will intervene. Is that alright by you?'

James was touched by Sirius' words; maybe he had matured a little after all.

'Alright,' he grinned finally, 'it's a deal!'

Sirius grinned back. 'Great!' Then his smile turned mischievous. 'Now, I have this brilliant idea for pranking Snivillus next year…'

--------------------------------

James raised his fist to the green door and knocked, then glanced back towards the street where his aunt sat in the car. She saw him look and gave a reassuring smile. He grinned in reply and turned back to the white fronted house before him.

The door opened and a man who looked to be somewhere in his thirties appeared. He had a long, rectangular nose, (which James could have recognised as being Polish had he ever met anyone from Poland before), dark brown hair flecked with sandy streaks, and astonishingly bright blue eyes topped with bushy eyebrows. Yet he had a grave expression on his face.

'You must be James,' he said in a welcoming tone, giving James the feeling that he was smiling although the serious face didn't alter at all. 'Come on in, young man.'

James followed the pianist along a dark hallway and into a large, airy, light room with polished wooden floorboards covered with patterned rugs. The only pieces of furniture in the room were shelves filled with music, a shiny black, handsome grand piano with an adjustable double seater stool, and a cushioned chair, which stood beside it.

The piano teacher sat down on the chair and motioned for James to sit down at the piano. Then he turned to look at James, seemingly studying him for a moment.

'So, James, have you ever played the piano before?'

James shook his head. 'No, Mr Heart, never.'

The older man's eyes flickered in a smile. 'Call me Stephen, all my other pupils do. So, you have never played before? Well then, lets start with a few simple finger positions and beginners songs.'

'No,' spoke James. 'I cant start from the beginning! I want to learn Clair De Lune by the end of the summer, there won't be time if I start with the simple stuff.'

Stephen Heart's bushy eyebrows rose in two pointed arcs. 'Clair De Lune, eh? That's a difficult piece to play in such short time.'

James looked directly into the teacher's blue eyes. 'Can you teach me to play it in that space of time though?' he challenged.

Stephen's eyes smiled once more. 'Many wouldn't, couldn't. But yes, James, if that is what you wish, then yes, I can.'

'Brilliant!' grinned James.

'But I can only teach you so much. It won't happen overnight, you know. You will have to practise for at least an hour every day, ideally two hours, and it will need determination for you to succeed?'

James knew Stephen was asking him if he still wanted to go ahead. 'I am determined,' he answered, thinking of Lily.

The pianist wiggled his eyebrows. 'Good. Now that's sorted, let us get on with the lesson.'

He stood up and crossed to the music shelves, taking down a fading green music book. 'This is the music for Clair De Lune. I cant teach you to read music if you have never tried, but you will need it for me to teach you the correct notes.'

He sat beside James on the bass side of the piano. 'Now, place your hands like so.'

--------------------------------

For the whole of the summer holidays James stuck with the piano, playing every day, and going to the lessons once a week. He picked it up quite quickly; Stephen Heart said he was a natural with pianist's hands. Not that it was easy for James; he often got quite frustrated and almost thought he just really couldn't be bothered, but the thought of Lily kept him going, and helped him to persevere. Once the tune started coming together he actually began to enjoy playing the piano, and started picking out other tunes that he knew. His teacher was very pleased with him, by the lesson before their last, he could play most of the notes correctly, and only had to work on feeling and expression.

To James' disappointment though, he never bumped into Lily during his stay at his aunt's, she appeared to have gone away on holiday with her whole family. He met up with both Remus and Sirius, however, quite frequently, when he wasn't playing the piano or having tea next door with Doris.

Two weeks before the start of term, he received a surprise. The Hogwarts letter arrived when he was in the kitchen eating breakfast, and it was slightly thicker than usual. Because of this he opened it more enthusiastically than he normally would, causing the gold head boy badge enclosed to fall out and fly across the room, landing in the sink.

James' mouth dropped open in disbelief. Then he took in what had just happened and jumped to his feet, rushing to retrieve the badge.

From out in the garden, Aunt Lydia, who was trimming the hedge, almost fell into the bush with shock as she heard her nephew's voice shout from inside the house.

'Yes!! I'm head boy!'

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review to let me know what you think!**

**Rose :)**


	4. The Wrath Of Lily

Chapter 4 – The Wrath Of Lily 

'What do you mean, you're not head boy?' asked Sirius in an incredulous voice, looking at Remus with furrowed brows. 'You're the good boy, Moony, no one but Evans tops your grades!'

Remus sighed with a smile from the seat opposite Sirius in their compartment. 'Sirius, there are dozens of others capable of being head boy!'

Sirius still looked unsure. 'Well if its not you, who is it then?' he asked in a challenging voice.

Remus was about to open his mouth to answer when the compartment door slid open.

'Hey guys!' James said casually from the doorway.

'Prongs, mate!' exclaimed Sirius, rushing over to greet his friend. 'Sit down! Me and Moony were just discussing who the head boy is!'

Remus couldn't help laughing. Sirius turned to him. 'What?'

Remus kept on laughing and pointed to James, who was also smirking at Sirius in amusement.

'What?' asked Sirius again, staring at his friend in confusion.

James, who was in his school robes, and looking very smart, had the golden head boy badge pinned in place already. He stuck out his chest as far as it would go, so as to make it even more obvious to his friend.

Sirius finally noticed the badge and his jaw dropped open in shock. 'You're head boy!' he exclaimed.

James nodded. 'Yep! Isn't it brilliant!'

Sirius had begun to recover from his shock and his mouth split into a huge grin. 'Brilliant? Prongs, it's awesome! Why didn't you tell us?'

'I wanted to surprise you, and I sure managed to!'

Remus looked triumphantly at Sirius. 'See, I told you there were other's capable of being head boy!'

Sirius hung his head comically. 'Ok, ok, you were right, Moony. I'm sorry I insulted you by saying you should have been head boy.'

Remus smiled. 'I'm sure I'll find it in my heart to forgive you, Padfoot old pal.' He then turned to James. 'So Prongsie, have you met the head girl yet?'

James looked alarmed. 'You mean it's not Lily?'

Remus and Sirius laughed. 'We have no idea, mate! That's why we asked you. But it's bound to be Evans.'

James sighed with relief. 'I suppose I should go and find out!'

Sirius and Remus looked at each other and laughed as James left the compartment in a hurry.

'It would be funny if it wasn't Evans after all!' said Sirius.

'It will be even funnier if it is Lily,' replied Remus. 'They'll have to put up with each others' company all year!'

'That is true, Moony my man. But then again have you heard James play the piano?'

Remus shook his head.

Sirius laughed wryly. 'Believe me, he is good. Lily won't be able to resist him if he plays his cards right this year.'

Remus sighed and lay back in his seat. 'Then I hope for all our sakes he does.'

------------------------

James made his way through the crowded corridor that ran down the middle of the Hogwarts Express, catching many an admired glance from various groups of giggling girls along the way. He just smiled his trademark too-gorgeous-to-resist smile, sending them all into swoons, and passed on, thinking only of his Lily.

'_Potter!_' came a snarling voice, interrupting his dream like state of mind. He looked around, only to find that he was in the middle of a group of seventh year Slytherins, amongst them two of his sworn enemies, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape.

James sighed. This was just what he didn't need right now.

'Excuse me,' he said coolly, ignoring the urge to insult them. 'You're blocking the corridor.'

The Slytherins sniggered. '_You're blocking the corridor!'_ one of them mimicked, whilst Lucius Malfoy asked in a challenging voice, ' really…what are you going to do about it, Potter?'

James took a deep breath. 'Move out of the way, Malfoy, or I'll ruin your first week back at school by making sure you get detention every night for a month.'

The Slytherins laughed loudly. 'Oh yeah? You're not even a prefect, Mummy's boy, you don't have the power to do that!'

James smirked, the anger bubbling inside him fading as he laughed back and drew himself up to full height. 'No, you're right, Lestrange, I'm not a prefect. But I am head boy, so if you don't clear out of the way right now, I _will_ have to punish you.'

These words had the impact he had wanted. The Slytherins were shocked into silence as they noticed the badge on his chest, and they stood meekly to one side as he passed, staring at his back with hatred and annoyance.

'How did _he_ get head boy?' muttered Malfoy in fury.

'By favouritism and big headedness,' replied Snape bitterly as they shuffled into a compartment and shut the door.

In the compartment opposite, the door stood slightly ajar, and behind it stood Lily's best friend, Jessica Mayflower, her eyebrows raised from the scene that had just taken place, and her mouth barely able to retain a smile. James Potter was head boy! And he was acting maturely. Lily will be in for a surprise!

------------------------

James reached the heads' compartment at the front of the train, but hesitated before going in. He ruffled his hair nervously and peeked in through the window, holding his breath, scared in case Lily wasn't the head girl. He needn't have worried. Inside the comfortable, luxury carriage sat Lily Evans, wearing a blouse and knee length skirt under the black school robes; her thick, shiny red hair cascading over her shoulders, soft skin lightly tanned from the summer, legs crossed casually, and the head girl badge pinned just above the Hogwarts crest on her chest. James let out his breath as warmth flooded into his heart at the sight of her. He slid open the compartment door and stepped inside, causing her to look up expectantly. Her bright, emerald green eyes met his with complete and utter shock as they travelled from the shiny golden badge on his robes to his ruffled black hair.

He cleared his throat, squashing down the annoying voice in his head that was trying to make him say something stupid. He must say something casual, something that showed great maturity and friendliness.

'Um, hi Lily.' Damn, that was so not mature and confident.

Lily just stared at James, completely speechless. This was her worst nightmare come true, he couldn't be head boy! Dumbledore would never in his right mind choose Potter! He must have stolen the badge off of Remus…

'What are you doing here, Potter?' she asked suspiciously, 'and don't call me Lily, it's Evans to you.'

James frowned and before he could cover up with a carefree expression, showed hurt and disappointment on his face.

Lily was surprised, where were the usual arrogant comments and smirks?

'I'm here because I got made head boy,' stated James with a small smile, and added teasingly; 'why, didn't you think I was good enough to get the badge?'

Lily had the decency to blush slightly. 'Well, I um…thought that…' she stammered, unsure how to say it politely, and confused by how weak he was making her feel.

James laughed. 'Never mind, Lily, I know what you thought. That I am too immature, arrogant, big headed, disgusting, a bully, prankster…' He ticked the adjectives off on his fingers whilst pulling a silly face.

'James! Shut up!' exclaimed Lily, before she could stop herself, afraid she might laugh. The look of complete surprise and triumph that appeared on James' face at her using his first name made her slap a hand to her mouth.

Embarrassed, she didn't think before yelling at him, then couldn't stop once she had started.

'You think you're so great, _Potter_, with your charms and jokes,' she burst out in a loud voice, to cover her mistake and confusion. 'I can't believe you got made head boy! Dumbledore must have been out of his mind choosing you! Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to sit with my friends. I'll see you in the prefect's carriage in an hour, AND DON'T BE LATE!' she snapped. With these last words she hurried out past him, ignoring the stunned and hurt expression his face.

'Lily!' he called after her desperately. But the fiery red head didn't answer.

A/N: Thank you for reading so far! Did you enjoy? Let me know by leaving a review! At least one and I will update! (though more would be nice!) Thanks to those who have reviewed!

**Rose :)**


	5. An Understanding

Chapter 5 – An Understanding

Lily strode quickly up the corridor, school cloak swishing behind her and angry tears blurring her eyes.

'Stupid James Potter!' she muttered as she searched the compartments for her friends Jessica and Alice.

She wasn't really angry about his attitude, which had actually seemed decent for once, but how close she had been to enjoying his company. 'I do not like him!' she told herself firmly.

She found her friends easily, sitting together in a compartment around the middle of the train.

'Hi Lily!' said Jessica with a smile. Then she noticed her friend's flushed face and hot eyes. 'Is everything ok?'

Lily sat down in a seat opposite them and put her head in her hands.

Jessica and Alice looked concerned. 'Lily?' asked Alice gently.

Their friend looked up and brushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes. 'Guess who's head boy?' she asked in a bitter tone, but before either of them could say anything, answered herself. 'It's that stupid Potter!' she exclaimed.

Alice and Jessica exchanged glances.

'What's he done to you now?' asked Alice.

Lily looked frustrated. 'That's just it! He did nothing wrong, acted completely normal. Charming in fact…I mean, not charming, he was if anything, mature! But he can't have changed. He'll always be the same arrogant, big headed…' she broke off, aware that she was repeating what James had joked to her earlier.

Jessica moved to the seat beside Lily and put her arm around her shoulder. 'Lil honey,' she began hesitatingly, 'you know, I think he might have changed.'

Lily looked at her in shock. 'What do you mean?' she asked suspiciously.

'Well I saw him earlier walking down the train, he must have been on his way to see you, and he bumped into the seventh year Slytherins. They goaded and insulted him, but unlike usual, James didn't curse them or insult them back. He just used his head boy power very responsibly, then walked away. It's not like him to turn his back on the possibility to fight with Snape or Malfoy.'

Lily sniffed. 'He didn't even call them names?' she asked dubiously.

'Not a negative word,' replied Jessica.

James' hurt and confused expression at her uncalled-for yelling swam to the front of Lily's mind, and she felt extremely guilty.

Jessica frowned. 'You weren't horrible to him, Lily?'

Lily nodded. 'I yelled at him,' she admitted, looking straight into her friend's amber eyes, then confessed exactly what she had said to James.

Alice and Jessica sighed. 'Oh Lily! This time he really didn't deserve that!'

She sighed. 'I know…I suppose I should go apologise?'

Jessica looked at her friend honestly. 'Well Lily, I think you should…but it's really up to you.'

----------------------------

'So first she was bitter to me, then she seemed to enjoy my company, even called me James, then she went all mad and yelled at me.' James was back in the Marauders compartment and had just finished retelling his friends about Lily's unbalanced emotions.

Sirius smiled sympathetically. 'I'm sorry, Prongs. But we do all know that girls can be very confusing and weird, and also very moody at times, especially Lily, who is a red head with a fiery temper to match.'

If James had been in a better mood he would have laughed at Sirius' wise analysis of the female sex. As it was, he was still feeling very confused and heart broken.

'But I didn't even do anything! I was myself for once. She was the one who relaxed enough to call me by my first name!'

Remus was looking thoughtful. He suddenly spoke up. 'James, don't worry yourself, and most certainly do not give up!'

James sighed. 'I suppose so, but Lily-'

Sirius nudged him sharply.

'What?'

Sirius, Remus and Peter had gone silent. They looked pointedly towards the doorway.  
James looked around, and his heart gave a leap inside him. Lily was standing in the doorframe, looking slightly embarrassed, her green eyes fixed upon him.

'Um, James…can I have a word?' she asked quietly.

James sat still on the seat and didn't respond; hope soaring inside him, yet sadness at her last outburst keeping him from answering.

Sirius pushed him gently from behind. 'Go on!' he whispered.

'James?' asked Lily again.

He stood up. 'Sure Lily,' he replied equally quietly, and joined her out in the corridor, shutting the sliding door behind him.

They were alone at the end of the train; everyone else was in their compartments. Lily tucked her hair behind an ear nervously, whilst James shuffled on the spot and ruffled  
his already messy hair. She looked him in the eye and took a deep breath.

'I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier.'

James smiled a genuine smile, looking deeply into her almond shaped eyes. 'I forgive you Lily,' he said truthfully.

Lily looked slightly uncomfortable at his sincerity, and was almost unable to hold his deep and searching gaze. 'No, James, it was wrong of me. I overreacted. We have to work together this year, so I think we should try to get along as best as we can.'

James had a strong desire to hold her close, feel her body against his, taste her lips and run his hand through her silky red hair… But now was not the time.

'That's fine by me!' he replied, a little too eagerly at the idea of them being friends on first name terms.

She frowned slightly. 'That doesn't mean I like you…'

His smile dropped. She couldn't help thinking how cute he looked, but firmly pushed that thought away.

'James?'

'I understand, Lily,' he replied.

'Good…I'm glad we got that sorted.' She smiled, still slightly embarrassed. 'Well, I'd better go…see you in the prefects meeting in half an hour?'

He nodded, and smiled back. 'Half an hour.'

She turned and started walking back down the train, red hair swaying slightly, then looked briefly back at him and added, somewhat teasingly, 'and don't be late!'

A huge smile spread across James' face as he watched her leave. He wandered back into the Marauders compartment in a dream, and met the expectant faces of his friends.

'Well?' asked Sirius, with a questioning look. 'Did she apologise to you?'

James leant back in his seat, a blissful expression on his face and eyes dreamy.

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. 'Prongs?' he said loudly, and waved a hand in front of his friend's face.

James pushed Sirius' hand away effortlessly and came out of his daydream to grin around the carriage at his fellow Marauders, all of whom were looking at him with a mixture of disbelief and hope.

'Lily and me have reached a understanding,' he said finally, 'and we're going to be friends!'

**A/N: Don't think this is going cliché, I promise you it isn't! And James still has a while to go before he really makes headway with dear Lily… anyways, thanks to those who have reviewed! As usual, one or more reviews on this chapter and I will update! I hope you're enjoying reading!**

**Rose :)**


	6. Lily's Birthday Without James, Or Not!

Chapter 6 – Lily's Birthday Without James…Or Not!

'Lily! Lily! Wake up sexy!'

Something jumped on Lily's bed and started bouncing up and down, followed by something else on the other side. Groaning, she opened her eyes to find Jessica and Alice bouncing on her bed and calling for her to get up.

'She's awake!' squealed Alice.

'Happy Birthday Lily!' they both chorused together, smiling at her sleepy state.

Lily sat up. Of course! Today was her 18th birthday…she had forgotten in her sleep!

'Thanks, girls!' she smiled, rubbing her eyes and feeling excited. They chucked her their presents, and she caught them with a grin.

Alice had given her a very pretty gold necklace set with delicate emerald stones, the colour of which matched her eyes perfectly.

'For you to wear out tonight!' explained Alice as Lily hugged her in thanks.

Lily looked puzzled. 'Tonight?' she queried.

'Oh, haven't we told you yet?' asked Jessica. Seeing Lily shake her head, she flicked back her curly blonde hair and grinned. 'We're taking you out to dinner this evening, in Hogsmede, for your birthday!'

Lily gasped in pleasure. 'Really?' she asked.

'Really!' the two girls chorused, smiling at her reaction.

'Open mine next!' demanded Jessica.

Lily picked up the parcel and unwrapped the purple, starry paper to reveal a beautiful, sparkling hair band, with the ability to mould into any hairpiece you need- band, tiara, or clip. It was made of a shimmering material with moving, sparkling stars all over it.

Lily was nearly crying with happiness. 'Thank you so much!' she whispered, and hugged her two friends.

'We thought you could wear them with your silvery green dress,' suggested Alice.

'Thank you! They will go perfectly!' replied Lily.

She moved to the foot of her bed where a pile of presents had been delivered in the night by owls or house elves and preceded to open them one by one.

'Nothing from James this year, then Lily?' asked Jessica teasingly as she opened the last present, a decorative Chinese scarf from her grandma.

Lily looked slightly disappointed. 'Nope, nothing.'

Alice raised her eyebrows. 'But doesn't he always give you a present?'

Lily nodded. 'Always. He must have forgotten this year.' For some reason this thought mad her feel sad.

Alice looked at her face closely. 'Do I see a hint of disappointment, Lily Evans?'

Lily's eyes flashed. 'No!' she exclaimed.

Jessica smiled. She knew Lily too well by now. 'Lily,' she began gently. 'How exactly _do_ you feel about James now?'

Lily looked confused, and felt her defence lowering under the caring gaze of her best friend. 'I don't really know,' she confessed in a whisper. 'I think…I think I love him.' She looked up into her friends' wide eyes. Jessica looked almost speechless. She had not expected this!

Alice frowned slightly. 'You _think_ you love him?' she questioned.

Lily nodded. 'Yes. But I don't know…oh it's all so confusing!' she looked frustrated and tears shimmered in her bright green eyes. 'I mean, I hate him, don't I?'

Her friends didn't speak, just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

'But he's changed so much recently, become so mature and friendly, not asked me out once in the whole month we've been here this year, and I can't help feeling different about him.'

Jessica and Alice exchanged glances, and smiled at Lily. 'Wow!' they whispered.

'Go for it, Lily!' said Alice. 'Tell him how you feel!'

Lily shook her head and looked at them sadly. 'No. He may appear to have changed, but I have no real proof that he has. I mean, why would he? If I tell him how I feel, let him into my heart, he may very well end up hurting me with his past attitude. I just can't risk it.'

Her friends looked at her sympathetically. 'I see what you mean,' Alice replied.

'You're right to be careful, Lily,' answered Jessica, gravely. Then she grinned suddenly. 'But hey! It's your birthday! Let's not go brooding over some stupid guy! You need to have fun, so get your ass out of bed, girl!'

Lily smiled at her friend's words and leapt off the bed, pushing her thoughts of James to the back of her mind. She ran into the en suit bathroom to have a shower and change. It was true…she couldn't let James ruin her birthday.

----------------------------

'Prongs, mate, you do know it is your precious Lily's birthday today?' asked Sirius as James helped himself to cornflakes at the breakfast table.

James grinned. 'Yep!'

Sirius frowned. 'But, aren't you going to give her anything this year?'

James looked at Sirius pityingly. 'Padfoot, you have forgotten my genius brain. Remember the plan I came up with on the journey home last year?'

Sirius nodded. 'Of course I remember the plan! But what has playing the piano got to do with Lily's birthday present?'

James tapped his nose. 'Aha! It has everything to do with Lily's birthday present, my hairy pall.'

Sirius knew that the best thing to do when James was in this kind of mood was to humour him. 'Oh, ok, Prongsie. Do you need help in this plan?'

James shook his head. 'Nah, thanks Sirius, but it'll be ok. However, if you know what Lily's plans are for today that would be a great help.'

Sirius' eyes lit up. 'It so happens that I do, Prongsie pal. Jessica and Alice are taking her out to dinner this evening at six o clock in Hogsmede. So they'll be out of the way from around four.'

James stood up, knocking the pumpkin juice over in his hurry. 'Yes!' he exclaimed. 'Thank you Padfoot, that is perfect!' and with those words, he left the Great Hall leaving Sirius staring after him, open mouthed

----------------------------

James ran up the corridor, passing Lily and her friends along the way.

'James!' exclaimed Lily, 'what's the hurry? You're head boy for goodness sake!'

He grinned and carried on running, pausing only slightly to say 'hi Lily!' as he left them staring at him open mouthed. He slowed down to a brisk walk when he reached the staircase, and headed up to the seventh floor, taking points off of young, misbehaving Slytherins along the way.

Once there, he paced three times in front of a plain wall, the third time causing a door to materialise out of the solid stone.

He opened it to reveal a large room in the gryffindor colours containing; a grand piano against the far wall, an armchair, a small table upon which stood a gramophone and a record of Clair De Lune, a bookshelf filled with books on romantic spells, and a help-your-self-to-food plate, which was currently empty.

This was James' typical room of requirement at the moment, although the books on romantic spells were a new addition this time. He could stay here all day, and the room would serve all his needs. He entered the room, and after picking a book at random, settled himself down in the comfortable armchair, opened the book, and began to skim read for perfect spells to use in his plan that afternoon.

----------------------------

Lily was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with her friends, reading a new book that Remus had given her, and occasionally watching Alice and Jessica at their game of Gobstones. She had enjoyed her birthday so far. It had been quiet mostly, and being a Saturday, there were no lessons. Lots of people had wished her happy birthday; she was popular and well liked throughout the school, being head girl. But the fact that one certain person had not wished her happy birthday was really brooding on her mind, even more so because she hadn't seen him all day, and it was coming up to four o clock now. Her feelings must have shown on her face, as Jessica was looking at her in concern.

'Lily? You ok, honey?' she asked.

Lily smiled, putting on a happy face for her friend. 'I'm fine, Jess, just a little bored.'

Jessica seemed to accept her excuse and smiled back. 'Well it's about time we go and get ready to go out. If you get everything you need from your room we can beautify in the girls' dormitory.'

Lily looked relieved to have something to do that would take her mind off of James. 'Ok, sounds fun! You both coming?' she addressed Alice, who was looking lovingly at a photo of her fiancé, Frank, (he had been in the year above them, so had left Hogwarts now, and Alice missed him a lot), as well as Jessica. They nodded, Alice coming out of her daydream with a smile, and got up out of their seats.

James positioned himself outside the door to the heads' quarters that he shared with Lily. He was safely hidden under his invisibility cloak and had the marauders map at hand to see where Lily and her friends were. They had left the Gryffindor common room and were heading along the main rout to the heads' common room. He watched as they came closer, and about five minutes later they appeared at the top of the corridor. Although he knew they couldn't see him, he still hid behind a statue, and from this position could hear every word they said.

'…So you'll get everything, then Lily?' Jessica was saying. 'We'll wait in the common room while you get your stuff, don't forget your make up! Oh, and a small handbag! We don't want to come back here again before going out, or we'll be late to the dinner!'

Lily smiled in response.

James' heart melted, she was so…perfect!

'I know, Jessi! I won't forget anything!'

Jessica grinned. 'Just checking!'

Alice joined in, linking arms with Lily. 'You know how Jessi frets, Lil! She makes _me_ feel nervous with all her worrying!'

They approached the tapestry that covered the password-protected door to the heads' common room.

'What time will we be back?' asked Lily.

James strained his ears to hear the answer, afraid Jessica would go inside before answering. He needn't have worried; the girls paused before opening the tapestry.

'About nine o clock,' replied Jessica. 'It won't be any later anyway…another reason to take anything you will need!'

Lily grinned. 'Ok, ok! Don't worry; I'll take my whole bedroom if it stops you fretting! Candy coated cashews.'

The door behind the tapestry swung open. Alice giggled. 'Tell me again why you have such a mouthful for a password, Lily!'

Lily frowned. 'Because stupid James…'

Her words faded away as they entered the common room, and James didn't hear the rest of the answer. His heart sank at Lily's words…he had thought she liked him now, yet she had called him stupid. Then he took heart at the fact that she had said 'stupid _James_' not Potter, and that made a big difference, made it teasing rather than insulting. He also remembered the argument they had had when he told her the password he'd given the door, and grinned. Candy coated cashews had been his favourite sweet at the time, plus, he thought it was funny. Lily, however, apparently hadn't appreciated his sense of humour.

Anyway, that was in the past now… all that mattered at this moment in time was winning Lily's heart. To do that, his plan needed to work. He had found out that they wouldn't be back until nine, and would most definitely be not coming back to the common room between now and then. That would give him plenty of time to prepare for Lily's birthday surprise.

He sat down behind the statue and waited for the girls to come back out again. It took them longer than he expected, and to pass the boredom he studied the map, making up funny situations with the people he saw moving about the castle…for instance, what was Filch doing in the library alone with Madam Pince? (Actually he'd rather not know) And Snape alone in the Slytherin dormitory, standing in front of the mirror, occasionally moving from the bed and back again…was he trying on skirts? (Probably) Trying to look presentable? (Impossible) Putting on make up? (Yes, James always suspected he was a transvestite!)

The door behind the tapestry opened, and the three girls reappeared in the corridor, Lily carrying a covered over dress, Jessica a make up bag, and Alice another bag…how many things did girls need to get ready to go out?

'Got everything, Lily?' surprisingly it was Alice asking the question this time.

'Yep! Let's go…we're running late already!'

James looked at his watch. Quarter past four…their dinner was at six…how could they be running late? Still, that was girls for you!

He watched their retreating backs down the corridor, and when he was sure they were gone, entered the common room. In case for some reason they did come back unexpectedly, he performed a spell on the door. Anyone that touched it would now immediately forget why they were there, and remember the need to be somewhere else.

That done, he replaced the cloak and map in his pocket, then took out his wand and pointed it at the sofa, using a non-verbal spell. The red, cottoned cover and padded cushions melted into a black, shiny material before his eyes. James watched it change shape; it was a very satisfying feeling. Transfiguration had always been his strong point, and now it had come in useful. In place of where the sofa had been now sat a beautiful grand piano. He looked at it in pride, the prospect of playing the cool, ivory keys making him smile. His wonderful plan had begun.

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who have been reviewing! I like reviews, reviews are gooood! Lol! Please keep them coming… and I will update soon!**

**Rose :)**


	7. Watching and Waiting

Chapter 7 – Watching And Waiting

Lily sat at the table her friends had booked for them at the restaurant in Hogsmede, and tried to enjoy the party atmosphere. The meal was delicious, and the latest music that was being played in the background quite catchy, but tonight this seemed annoying. She had to admit that she was having a great time, but somehow just wasn't in the mood for this type of evening. She listened to Alice and Jessica's excited chatter, trying to join in and share their enjoyment, a light smile pasted on her face as she nodded and 'ummed' randomly, her mind not really on the conversation.

She finished her last mouthful of salmon, and absentmindedly put down her knife and fork. She was the last to finish, and the plates disappeared immediately from the table as they did in Hogwarts.

A sudden hush followed this action, and Lily looked up curiously to see what was happening.

Heading her way was a waiter, levitating a decorated Victoria sponge cake in front of him, the top layer covered in many lit candles. The music, which had stopped playing as he entered, started the first chords of 'happy birthday'. Lily blushed, and couldn't help smiling as Alice and Jessica stood up and started to sing along to the words, whilst doing a funny dance.

_'Happy birthday to you,_

_Happy birthday to you,_

_Happy birthday dear Lily…_

_Happy birthday to you!'_

The cake had reached their table and was now hovering in front of Lily.

'Blow, Lily!' demanded Jessica.

'Don't forget to make a wish!' finished Alice.

Feeling suddenly the childish joy of a birthday, and the happiest she had been so far this evening, Lily bent forwards and blew. One by one the sparkling flames shot up towards the balloon covered ceiling in the blast of air, leaving a trail of glowing flowers which spelled out the words 'Happy 18th birthday'. Lily watched the letters form, and surprised herself with the wish that came strongly to mind; '_I wish for James Potter to truly love me.' _

Time seemed to stop. A shiver tingled down Lily's spine as the flowery letters in the air shimmered and a slight warm breeze fluttered her loose red hair. Then as if it had never happened, the cake dropped carefully to the table in front of her and time speeded up again to normal, as everyone in the room applauded.

Her friends seemed to have noticed nothing strange. 'Happy birthday Lily!' they chorused, and Alice poured them all another glass of champagne, toasting to Lily's health.

Lily smiled and clinked her glass against theirs, the clear, fizzing liquid glowing green in the reflection of the solar plant behind them, the strange feeling forgotten as she sipped her drink.

At the front of the room a large curtain opened, revealing a dance floor and flashing lights. The music started up once more, lively and fun. 'Come and dance, Lily!' said Jessica, her eyes shining happily as she tried to pull Lily to her feet.

'No, I don't think I-' Lily began, but her friends weren't about to give up. They knew Lily didn't go out that often and wanted to make sure she made the most of it.

'Yes you will!' said Alice, 'you can't get out of this one, Lily!'

And before she could protest again, she found herself on the dance floor.

----------------------------

James smiled and pocketed his wand, stepping back towards the door to get a good look at his handiwork. '_Yes_,' he thought as his eyes scanned the transformed common room. '_Perfect!' _He glanced at his left wrist and gasped. He had been so busy he hadn't noticed the time, it was already quarter past eight, and Lily could be back soon! He rushed over to the door that led to his bedroom and entered the comfortable room, which although had been tidied in the process of his plan, (the clothes and schoolbooks piled quickly under the bed and anywhere out of sight) still had the casual hint that it belonged to a bloke. Wasting no time, James pulled off his t-shirt and took off his scruffy jeans, crossing into the shared bathroom for a quick shower.

In record time he was back out again, wrapped in a towel. He dried himself with a spell, then took out a fresh, blue shirt from the wardrobe and carefully put it on over his muscular chest, leaving the top two buttons undone for the casual-smart look. Then he took out a new pair of dark jeans and pulled them on, finally buckling a neat black belt around the waistline.

Crossing to the mirror he contemplated his reflection for a moment. He made to pick up his comb, but then hesitated, grinned and just ruffled his slightly damp hair into his favourite scruffy but sexy style. Satisfied, he pulled on socks and smart shoes, transferred his wand to his pocket, and took out the marauders map, heading back into the common room. After taking the spell off of the main door, he sat down on the piano stool and tapped the map, muttering, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'

He scanned the whole piece of parchment, but there was no sign yet of a dot labelled Lily Evans anywhere in the castle. He sighed, and placed the map on the seat, then played a few random notes on the shiny keyboard. Now all he had to do was wait.

----------------------------

Lily followed her two slightly tipsy friends out into the night. The cobbled street was bathed in an orange glow, casting shadows and highlights onto Hogsmede's closed shops and sleepy houses. As they passed out of the village onto the road to Hogwarts, the lights became fewer, and merged into the cool, evening darkness, their path lit only by the light of a half moon and the many silvery twinkling stars high up in the darkness.

Lily breathed in the evening air and sighed. It was a perfect night for the end to a perfect birthday, yet something still seemed incomplete, something that would make this day truly perfect. Her thoughts couldn't help but stray to James. She wondered what he was doing now, in fact, what he had been doing all day for that matter, and then felt slightly alarmed because she was experiencing the new and scary feeling of actually longing for James Potter. _Stop thinking of him!_ She told herself firmly, but her mind was taking no notice. He was close to her, very close. She could feel his breath on her neck, his arms around her waist. He leaned in to kiss her lips, murmured 'happy birthday Lily'…

Alice stumbled slightly beside her, pulling Lily guiltily out of her thoughts. Face flushing warm in the cool air, she placed a steady hand on her friend's back to help her back onto the pavement, extremely glad that the darkness concealed her pink cheeks, and that Jessica and Alice couldn't see what she had been dreaming.

They slowly approached the Hogwarts gates, and Jessica began to hum the song 'Crazy About You', by the Wand Brothers. Lily felt a sudden wave of sadness. James had not remembered her birthday; he obviously didn't like her any more, had given up on asking her out. But wait; was she possibly…falling for James Potter? She didn't want to go out with him, did she? Certainly never while he could still hurt her feelings, and she had no proof that he truly loved her.

The iron gates suddenly loomed up in front of them, reflecting the starry sky, and Jessica, who was a bit wobbly on her feet having had one glass of champagne too many, bumped into the bars, ending her humming with an 'oof!' She rubbed her head absentmindedly, giggling lightly. Lily sighed and pulled her gently out of the way, approached the keyhole, then tapped the bars once with her wand and said the first password. 'Jelly Babies.'

There was a clicking sound from within the metal. 'Cockroach Cluster,' said Lily, and tapped the lock twice. This was followed by a whirring noise. When that stopped, Lily traced the shape of a triangle with the tip of her wand and muttered 'Love is the most powerful magic of all,' into the keyhole. With these words, the gates moved silently open, and the three trooped into the grounds of Hogwarts, Lily shutting the gates behind them as Alice and Jessica waited to one side, pointing and giggling at their own shadows, making them wave and merge into different shapes.

'C'mon girls, lets get you to the Gryffindor common room now, its getting late. I'm sure the shadows won't mind, in fact, I think they like you, and might just follow you inside,' Lily said to her friends in humour, knowing it was the only way to get them moving. She was right.

'Really?' asked Alice, looking very airy, her blue eyes wide. 'Will they marry me?'

'Yes, really,' replied Lily, trying not to laugh, 'but I don't think that Frank would be very happy about that, Alice.'

Alice nodded. 'Ah, Frank…' she said dreamily, and began to walk forwards. Then she added, somewhat as an afterthought, 'sorry shadows, I'm taken.'

'They can marry me,' piped up Jessica, '_I'm _not taken.'

Lily smiled to herself. 'Well let's go inside then,' she said, rolling her eyes, then pushed her mad friends forward forwards towards the dark silhouette of the castle.

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James picked up the marauders map again, for about the seventh time since he had first sat down at the piano. Carefully and thoroughly he scanned the parchment, searching amongst the many labelled dots for Lily's name. His eyes passed over the part for gryffindor tower, then quickly stopped, and did a double take back to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Three dots labelled Lily Evans, Jessica Mayflower, and Alice McGibbons were hovering outside the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, Alice and Jessica's dots wavering slightly as if tipsy.

James smiled to himself and watched as they entered the tower, then headed up to the girls dormitory. It wouldn't be long now until Lily came back to her room for the night. Luckily she didn't know about the secret passageways that led from the seventh year girls' dormitory to the head girl's bedroom, or the one that led from the marauders dormitory to James' room. There were eight in total, all leading from the two head's rooms to each of the seventh year dormitories in the whole castle, two for each house. But unfortunately, or so James thought, the only ones activated were the passageways that led to the head boy or girl's houses, so he couldn't sneak up on Snivellus in the night and prank him and the other Slytherins. The fact that Lily didn't know about these short cuts meant that she would have to come in by the common room, and therefore enable James to give her his birthday surprise.

Looking back at the map, he saw that the dot labelled Lily Evans had left the girls dormitory, and was now in the common room, heading for the portrait hole. James stopped thinking of pranking Slytherins, and immediately focused on his Lily flower. It would not be long now until she came to the heads' quarters, and he wanted to be ready. Nervously he sprang up from the piano seat and rushed into his room to check his appearance in the mirror, once again ruffling up his hair (although it really couldn't get any messier) and adjusting his shirt collar. Once satisfied, he returned again to the map, his beloved piano, and the now hopefully shorter wait.

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Lily left her giggling friends in the dormitory, and after saying good night, made her way back down the stairs and into the cosy Gryffindor common room. It was deserted, and the blazing fire and comfortable, familiar seats were urging her to sit down and relax. However, she was still wearing her best dress, and didn't want to end up falling asleep wearing it, so she ignored the enticing sofa and instead thought of her room with its luxurious king size bed. With this thought, she made her way to the portrait hole, opened it, and stepped out into the quiet corridor. As she made her way to the heads' quarters, her thoughts were once again on James. He had probably spent the day with some ditzy blonde…

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James watched Lily's dot get closer and closer, she was only one corridor away now. He took a last look around the room, making sure everything was perfect, and quickly performed a small spell that was so simple he had overlooked it before, but was really needed to complete the magic. He put his wand away and looked at the map, Lily was at the end of the corridor…

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She walked slowly up the last stretch of hallway, past the many sleeping portraits, her silvery dress floating slightly behind her. James was probably in bed by now, she thought, most likely snoring his head off…

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He watched the dot Lily move closer to the tapestry, saw her stop, presumably to say the password. He quickly tapped the map blank, whilst muttering 'mischief managed', and stuffed it into his back pocket. Heart beating fast with anticipation and nerves, he took a deep breath and moved his hands into place over the shiny keys. Any second now…

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'Candy Coated Cashews.' Lily spoke the password to the solid wooden door. She then reached out her hand, turned the doorknob to the right. The door swung open silently…

Lily froze on the spot as the sound of the first three chords of Clair De Lune met her ears, the beautiful notes tugging immediately at her heart. As her eyes took in the scene in front of her, she couldn't help but gasp. The notes of Clair De Lune were coming from a beautiful grand piano that stood at the back of the room in place of the sofa, bathed in a glowing shaft of moonlight. And, sitting at the keys, playing the song note perfect was…James Potter.

**A/N: Mwahahaha! Now you have to wait for another chapter to find out what happens! Please review, I love getting a response, and seeing as there is only one more chapter left to go, I will be updating if and only if, I get lots of reviews! ;)****Aren't I lovely! ****Huge thanks if you have been reviewing, it is greatly appreciated!**

**Rose :)**


	8. Birthday Magic By The Light Of The Moon

Chapter 8 – Birthday Magic By The Light Of The Moon

Lily stood frozen in the doorway, paralysed by the music as the soft notes drifted over her. She let her eyes take in the room, which had been transformed into a romantic grotto; dark with soft glowing golden light coming from floating candles around the walls. Glitter fell from the ceiling in a silvery shower, lingering only for a few seconds upon contact before disappearing, and hovering inches from the starry ceiling were the words 'happy birthday Lily' shimmering pink and gold in time with the music as if they were heat ripples in the air.

Her heart filling with happiness, and hardly daring to take a breath less it spoil the magic, she took a silent step forwards into the room, noting how the small window had been enlarged to a huge archway, the curtains drawn wide to let in the light of the moon. As the music took a more dramatic tone, she stepped slowly towards James, whose handsome dark hair was sparkling with glitter, and reached his shoulders just as he moved into perfect, flowing glissandos.

After a pause, his fingers moved into the faster part of the music. Lily stood silently behind him, unable to believe that he was really playing, yet as she watched his long fingers touch every note correctly, in time to each individual tone, she had to believe he was playing for real.

Feeling as if she were in a dream, she watched his curved, muscular shoulders move slightly as his hands raced up and down the keyboard, watched his brow furrow slightly in steady concentration, the corners of his lips turned up in a content smile. He had the dynamics, along with the emotion of the piece, absolutely perfect, and even as she acknowledged this, her attention was caught by the sight of beautiful white lily's blooming out of the walls, causing her to gasp as they formed many heart shaped patterns.

Following this complex piece of magic, the music moved back to the original Clair De Lune theme, and Lily felt her heart surge with love deeper than anything she had ever felt before as she fixed her gaze onto James once more. She wanted to reach out to him, feel his skin close to hers, stare deeply into his warm hazel eyes… Yet the music held her completely still, caught up in the magic.

The notes began to come to a close; she watched his fingers move more slowly as they played the last chords, followed by the heart-tugging slow glissandos that led up to the final tinkling, high pitched note. And as this final note sounded, the pearly white image of a stag appeared in the midst of the sparkling glitter, gliding once around the room before leaping gracefully onto the shaft of moonlight that shone through the window. With one last prance and a toss of its antlered head it dissolved effortlessly into the night, taking with it the final ring of the music, and leaving behind a sudden silence, broken only by the sound of Lily's beating heart.

James held the final hand position for lasting effect, hovering completely still over the last notes as the stag's image faded. He could feel the presence of Lily, standing so close behind him, and held his breath, listening to her quiet breathing and beating heart, not quite daring to believe that the moment he had been dreaming of since he had first set eyes on Lily seven years ago was about to come true.

Slowly he dropped his hands to his sides, resisting the urge to scruff up his hair, and swivelled around on the seat so that he was facing her, but kept his gaze on the floor, scared to know her reaction.

'James…' she whispered breathlessly, longing for him to look up. It was a strange and alien sight to see the arrogant, popular James Potter actually nervous, and not a trace of his usual confidence remained as he raised his eyes shyly towards her.

Lily's heart skipped a beat as the heart-melting, golden brown eyes met hers. Sensing his hesitation and nerves, she smiled encouragingly, which gave him the confidence he needed. He couldn't help a small smile escaping his own lips as he stood up and took a step towards her, his eyes never leaving her face as he searched the emerald green orbs for any sign of her usual wariness, finding only warmth and, dare he hope it…love.

'Lily…' he whispered, and reached out to take her hands, his eyes still fixed on hers.

She felt his warm touch on her palms, and sighed. This was her wish coming true. It would be easy to lose herself in his gaze, let him hold her closer, capture her heart…yet there was still something she needed to know. Dropping his hands gently, she tore her eyes away from his, and glanced once around the sparkly, moonlit room before taking a deep breath and looking into his eyes. 'James, how-?' she began, but couldn't quite bring herself to finish the question.

James' face fell slightly as she let go of his hands, yet looking into her eyes again, the tone in her voice that he had thought was rejection became that of wonder, and he immediately understood what it was she wanted to hear.

'Lily, I…I learned to play the piano specially for you; to prove how much I can change, and that I really do care for you.' He looked at her honestly, begging her to understand, and ran a hand nervously through his hair as her green eyes widened. 'I knew that you loved Debussy, that your favourite piece was Clair De Lune, so I took lessons over the summer to learn how to play it, practised for many hours each day to get it perfect…just for you.'

He stepped even closer, took her hand once more… and this time she didn't let go. 'I love you,' he breathed finally, eyes sincere and full of feeling.

There was a pause, in which Lily stood silently in front of him, an unreadable expression in her eyes, and James scanned her face anxiously, scared that he'd said all the wrong things, unable to tell what she was thinking. But then a smile started to spread across her pretty face, and her eyes lit up with a sudden sparkle. James began to feel hopeful, and couldn't help himself from smiling back. He moved in closer as she did the same. He could see the light freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks, count each individual, curly eyelash…

'Happy Birthday, Lily,' he whispered, and then his lips met her own.

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3 years later…

James sat on a chair pushed right up against a bed in the maternity ward in St. Mungoes, his arm around his wife Lily, who was sat up in bed. Her dark red hair fell around her flushed but tired looking face, contrasting strongly against the white robes she was wearing, and the pale blue colour of the bed sheets. She was smiling down fondly at a small bundle in her arms, and James looked on proudly as she held his newborn baby son, who already supported a crop of messy dark hair.

'What should we call him?' asked Lily softly, taking her eyes off of the baby for a moment to look at her husband.

James looked serious for a moment, and then his eyes sparkled mischievously. 'How about Claude?' he suggested, grinning as Lily's eyes widened in horror. 'You know, after Claude Debussy. It was his music that brought us together, after all!'

Lily smiled at his joking, as the baby squirmed in his blankets, pulling a scrunched up face. 'I don't think he likes that…and anyway, I'd already decided I like Clair!' she teased back, and the baby began to wail.

'He likes that even less that Claude!' commented James. Then he frowned, 'Claire's a girls name anyway!'

'Not when it's name comes from 'Clair De Lune'!'

'True…' He pretended to consider it. 'Nah, too feminine!'

Lily laughed. 'What, then?' she asked, and James knew she was being serious this time.

They both looked down into their son's green, almond shaped eyes that matched Lily's so perfectly. The baby had stopped wailing now, and he stared back into their eyes, scrunching up his tiny fists as if concentrating hard on something.

Lily looked at James, who looked at Lily. Then they both looked back down at their son, and spoke the same name at the same time.

'Harry.'

And inside the shroud of blankets, snuggled up cosily in his mother's arms, newborn Harry Potter smiled.

**_THE END_**

**A/N: Yes, this is the end !sob! and I'm sorry if it was a short story, but that was all it was meant to be! I didn't want to drag anything out, and I liked the light hearted result very much! This chapter was the hardest, yet the most fun to write, I think! Now, this story may be complete, but PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW! I really love to know what you think, and if you enjoyed reading it! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed throughout! I hope you review this last chapter, too!**

**Rose :)**


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